A sanitation professional with experience and interest in sanitation and water resource management specifically in conceptualising and developing projects, planning and implementation as well as knowledge management. Susmita has over 25 years of wide-ranging experience in the wastewater and environmental resource management sector. She is currently working as a freelance consultant in the sanitation sector supporting various organisations. Prior to this, she has been associated with Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination (CDD) Society and Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) for 14 years supporting Research and Development, Knowledge Management and Capacity Building as well as conceptualisation, design of decentralised wastewater treatment systems and faecal sludge management initiatives. Before working with CDD she has been associated with environment education and environmental management consultancies. 

She has extensive experience with providing support to organisations/governments in India and other developing countries to develop technology options for used water and faecal sludge management, developing guidelines for managing used water and faecal sludge and design and implementation of used water and faecal sludge treatment technologies. Additionally, she has been closely associated with knowledge management and capacity building on various aspects of sanitation for stakeholders across the sanitation value chain. Her key expertise is in assessing and developing sustainable sanitation solutions based on local conditions and integrated approaches and sanitation related capacity development.  She holds a Masters in Environment Management.